We Can't Go Camping If We Can't Get It Out! - Part 5

Clearly Phoenix II has proved its worth, and is a must-have tool for all maneuvering except the steep grade and the trailer's inability to make a sharp turn in confined space.

In This Series:

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

PART 5

PART 6

PART 7

There were a couple of solutions kicked around, however, we settled on a method using roller car wheel jacks on the trailer tandem axles and a mobile winch to straighten out the trailer to 'cheat' the 90° turn. This process was used after the trailer was pulled to the highest point in the driveway possible with Phoenix II, then hooked to the van for stability during lateral movement of the trailer. The wheel jacks are easy to use, and it helps to point the caster wheels in a direction of motion. Fixing the 60 year old driveway pavement will make this much easier also. That project is in queue.

The winch setup was interesting. It had to be mobile, i.e. pulling the trailer up, the winch had to be placed on one side, and downward, the winch needed to be placed oppositely. The first attachment shows that a post was located strategically and an adaptor and class III hitch arrangement used to mount the winch. There's some versatility here in that the winch, as configured, could be mounted on the van, or used on the ATV in addition to its intended trailer moving duties. Space on the winch mount was made to accommodate a battery and battery box. These have yet to be added, but completes the winch as a self-powered lateral puller. A battery charger has been powering the winch so far.

The process for pulling the trailer up the driveway follows a stepped procedure. The trailer mover pulls the trailer around the garage and up the driveway into the 90° uphill. In order to reduce the high lateral friction of the tandem axle making a sharp 90° turn, watering the pavement proved to be an effective friction reducer. The tires can scrub much easier doing this which also reduces the tugging necessary to steer the trailer mover. The trailer is aligned with the garage so it doesn't interfere when turned. As the trailer axles start up the 19% grade, Phoenix II will finally break traction. Currently, the Phoenix mover tire pressure is under test. We've reduced tire pressure by about 25% without increasing steering force greatly. Tire pressure will likely be reduced further in an effort to increase the footprint. The trailer tongue is centered in the driveway, wheels chocked, and mover uncoupled.

Next, the trailer is hitched to the van, the four wheel movers put in place, and the winch and line setup. The powered winch swings the trailer to nearly a straight position, i.e. pulls the back of the trailer around completing the turn around the van hitch. This is where the smoothness of the driveway makes a difference. Cracks in the driveway tend to 'trip' the castor wheels on the wheel movers, but the winch is powerful enough to overcome this, as well as moving the van and trailer forward slightly to ease the trailer position.

The vehicle and trailer are now pointed straight up the driveway for an easy pull up and out. Weight distribution bars are added on the level part of the driveway, and the rig is ready to go. This process typically takes 30-40 minutes. Interestingly, hitching the car to the trailer on the down-slope seems to take up more time than it should, even using the foam ball hitch locators. We might be able to reduce the time a bit, but 20-25 minutes is about as fast could possibly be expected.

Next installment explores the definite differences in pulling the trailer back down the driveway to its parking position. It's not the reverse of the pull out process!

by: Glenn Thompson